Unboxing

The Roborock S7 Max ULTRA robot vacuum cleaner arrived for review from the Geekbuying online store. Home delivery was arranged by a DPD courier, the trip lasted just under 2 weeks.

The product packaging was additionally placed in a transport box. This box only had very minor dings, I don't think they even count as damage. The packaging itself looked great, no shipping marks.

Complete set: pump service station and its ramp for pump access, the robot pump itself, power cord, instructions, additional dust bag for the station. The station itself has three separate containers for: clean water, dirty water, extracted garbage/dust.

Quality

ULTRA stop - all water containers that are intended for servicing the Roborock S7 Max ULTRA fit neatly and rigidly. The lids of the containers close tightly and because they have rubber gaskets, no leaks should occur.

The collected garbage/dust container is covered with a plastic cover. A single-use material bag is used inside the container, it will only have to be changed to a new one when it is full. Since there is an extra one in the kit, this should last you for the first few months.

Just like water, there is no "leakage" of collected dust around. Therefore, I have no comments on the quality of the assembly of the stop and the quality of the plastic itself. The only thing I missed was the marking of how much to pour clean water into the container. The dirty water container has a float inside, so when the container is full, the robot will notify you accordingly.

There is an LED indicator light on the front, and the power cord is connected on the back. The excess cord can be wrapped in a designated area. There is also a rubber cover on the back, after removing it I found a micro USB connector and a separate plug with the power output symbol marked next to it. The micro USB port is most likely for firmware rewriting, but I wonder what the extra power plug is supposed to do?

Three buttons are visible on the top of the Roborock S7 Max ULTRA: power on/cleaning, spot cleaning/child lock, return to dock. The integrated 360-degree rotating laser at the top is intended for navigation and map drawing. For more accurate obstacle detection, this Roborock model has a 3D sensor on the front.

The garbage container, as in most cases, is removed by first lifting the top cover of the robot upwards. The roller for collecting garbage from the ground is completely rubber, without bristles. The filter in the inner dust box can be washed, only after washing it must be completely dried.

The floor cloth is placed on the bottom of the robot. The Roborock S7 Max ULTRA fills itself with clean water by entering the station with the rear part of the pump, and the robot vacuums the collected garbage into the garbage bag at the station and charges the battery by entering the front part.

Functionality

Purpose and functions of the station: collect garbage from the robot, wash the dirty cloth, dry the wet cloth, fill up with clean water and charge the robot's battery. Before each cleaning, the robot automatically fills its smaller tank with clean water. After each pumping, the pump will return to the station for cleaning.

After entering the end, the fabric cloth is washed, for this the station has a brush that cleans the cloth as it rotates. Later, after the "bath" procedure, the robot leaves and turns around to enter the front. In this position, the garbage/dust is extracted from the garbage container in it. Finally, the Roborock S7 Max Ultra remains in position to charge the battery and dry the wet cloth.

Roborock S7 Max Ultra can be controlled by Xiaomi Home or Roborock APPs. With each model, these apps have more and more features and capabilities. I won't go into too much detail, but I will mention what really seemed "smart" to me.

In the menu window of the station settings, it is possible to choose how long the floor cleaning robot should return to the station to wash the cloth. Minimum setting every 10 min, maximum every 50 min. Automatic cloth drying - after each wash, the cloth will be washed and dried. It is possible to set the time interval with an hour precision from 2 to 4 hours.

Reactive Obstacle Avoidance (ROA) - This setting has two possible choices. The ROA algorithm will detect obstacles in real time and reduce access to the resulting "traps". Less collision mode - anticipate walls and furniture to reduce the number of frontal collisions, called "less collision mode".

Pumping

For this test, I set only the suction function (no wet cleaning) to the most powerful “MAX+” mode. I put some sand from outside on the floor. The robot coped with this task as well as possible. I am more satisfied with the result than compared to the Roborock S7.

The new S7 Max Ultra did this job not only better, but also faster. Since the floor is tiled, the old Roborock S7 (2500Pa) usually left dirt between the tile gaps, and this S7 Max Ultra had no problems with the gaps. So, at this point, we made sure that the suction power of 5500Pa is not just a marketing trick.

Wet cleaning

For the wet cleaning test, I dripped cocoa liquor on the same floor tiles. I dried a bit with a hair dryer to dry the spots more. The purpose of the test is to see how many times the robot will need to pass with a damp vibrating cloth to completely clean everything.

A similar type of test was performed with the Roborock S7 model. You can find a review video of this model here. In order not to have to wait for a long time, I marked the cleaning of the selected area in the app. After the first run, the Roborock S7 Max Ultra cleaned about 35% stains. 2nd pass, cleaned about 70%, 3rd pass was final and there were no stains left.

For both the S7 and S7 Max Ultra, one run wasn't enough. It is true that it should be mentioned that this test was perhaps a bit "squeezed" and in reality, such major deadlock situations are unlikely to occur. Well, a little off-topic, but for the sake of comparison and interest - the Roborock Dyad Pro manual model cleans similar types of stains much more efficiently.

Dust collection at the station

The purpose of this test is to check whether the "jet" engine qualitatively collects the garbage/dust from the inner box of the robot pump into the bag at the station. Both the carpets and the floor were vacuumed, on which a little sand was scattered. After vacuuming, I checked how much debris was collected.

The present amount was fully sufficient for the test. When I opened the pump's plastic container after suctioning to the station, I found only a few hairs stuck to the air filter. They came off easily when pulled with your fingers. During testing, the app had the "SMART" setting selected for vacuuming, so if I had set it to "MAX," it is very likely that the robot's dust box would have been even cleaner.

Obstacle course

The most interesting and, in my opinion, the most relevant test. Since the manufacturer installed a "Reactive Tech" sensor on the front of the robot that detects obstacles, it was worth trying how it would react to obstacles on the floor. 3 items were chosen for the purpose of the test: a child's toy, a child-sized shoe and a phone charger.

All these objects were identified by the robot and went around without any major complaints. There were no attempts to push or drive over objects with their hull. True, at one point minimally touching the charger cable with its side brush.

What did we like?

Before creating a new map, the app suggests making a quick mapping first. In this way, the robot quickly goes around and scans the spaces of the house and creates a map. I can only confirm that during testing it was really fast going around and accurately scratched the boundaries that were later seen in the APPs.

Self-cleaning cloth. It is very convenient that you do not need to remove the cloth after each cleaning and wash it manually or throw it in the washing machine. After the floor cleaning test, I removed the mop from the robot and washed it with soap. The water was definitely clean enough.

In addition to the high-quality cleaning cloth, I would also mention the drying function as a big plus. You don't have to worry about how to remember to wash and dry the cloth after cleaning. Comparing the sound of drying with the Roborock Dyad Pro "vacuum cleaner" I tested, I would compare the sound level of this S7 Max Ultra to the buzzing of a mosquito (it works quite quietly).

At first, I was perhaps a bit skeptical about the disposable dust bags used at the ULTRA station. However, from the point of view of hygiene and convenience, it is far superior to a reusable container. After all, often when "shaking" it creates a ball of dust and parts really fall on the floor. And here - you threw it away and forgot. The price of additional bags also does not "bite", especially replacements, not Roborock. Well, you will only need to change the wrap every 3-6 weeks.

Suction speed. The Roborock S7 reigned for a while in the house, but this new Roborock S7 Max ULTRA vacuumed the same area of the house in 19 minutes, when the old S7 took 26 minutes. Even just watching the robot work, you can see that it moves much more confidently and quickly.

What we didn't like?

Vacuuming dust from the robot's container into the station's dust bag. GOING TO HIMSELF as he loudly does it. Even if you manually press the emptying button, the app throws a message about making a lot of noise during the cleaning process.

Removing the cloth from the bottom of the robot. If compared to Roborock S7, it has a separate removable platform on which the cloth is fixed with material stickers. In this Roborock S7 Max ULTRA, you need to take the robot out of the charging station, then turn it over and only then can you remove the cloth.

And although this is not the most convenient solution, on the other hand, changing the cloth will only be done every few months. After all, the ULTRA station itself makes sure that this cloth is thoroughly washed and dried every time. I would say, here is a small detail.

If you have a longer-pile carpet at home, unfortunately, there is a high probability that the carpet will be easily wetted during wet cleaning. This can happen due to the fact that the platform of the robot mop rises only 5mm, and this height is usually only sufficient for short-pile carpets. On the other hand, you can set through the app that if the pump detects a carpet, it will not run on it.

And finally, the handles of the water containers got a little stuck. When you want to fill or empty, you must first bend the handle, and only then can you open the container cover. Filling with water is fine, emptying is a bit inconvenient.

Verdict

Probably many of us are looking for solutions to make household chores easier. The new robotic vacuum cleaner Roborock S7 Max ULTRA will definitely help in this matter. High suction power and a vibrating wet cleaning cloth will ensure high-quality daily floor cleaning.

The Reactive Tech sensor on the front will detect most obstacles in your home and bypass them without much difficulty. In turn, the ULTRA station will ensure that the robot always leaves with both a clean cloth and an empty dust box, as well as a fully filled water tank for constant moistening of the cloth and efficient cleaning.

The manufacturer has several robots with similar parameters in the list of its product family: Roborock S7 Pro Ultra, Roborock S7 Max Ultra, Roborock S7 MaxV Ultra. You can see the differences between these models and the comparison table below.

2. Roborock S7 Max Ultra has automatic cloth drying. Meanwhile, S7 MaxV ULTRA and S7 Pro ULTRA do not have this function (or you need to purchase an additional module at the station). With this drying function, you will reduce the chances of having a bad smell and at the same time prevent germs that like to breed in a moist environment.

3. The price of the Roborock S7 Max Ultra is significantly lower than the S7 MaxV Ultra model, and the functionality is almost the same. Because of this, the new S7 Max Ultra gets a better price/quality/specs option. Of course, if the 3D obstacle sensor is not relevant for your home and the cloth drying function is not important - then you can save even more by purchasing Roborock S7 Pro Ultra model.